Cap-and-Trade Hurts Democrats

Washington, D.C., November 3, 2010 — House Democrats who voted for the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill were big losers in the congressional elections. Approximately thirty Democrats who voted for Waxman-Markey were defeated. This does not include Democratic losses in open seats in which the incumbent chose not to run for-re-election.

Representative Rick Boucher, a senior fourteen-term Democrat from Virginia’s coal district (the 9th), negotiated the deal that led to passage of Waxman-Markey by a 219-212 vote on June 26, 2009. Boucher lost and took many coal-state Democrats with him.

“One of the clearest messages voters sent last night was a repudiation of cap-and-trade and other policies to raise energy prices,” said Myron Ebell, Director of CEI’s Center for Energy and Environment.

Other House Democrats who voted for Waxman-Markey and lost include: Betsy Markey in Colorado; Alan Grayson, Allen Boyd, Suzanne Kosmas, and Ron Klein in Florida; Debbie Halvorson and Phil Hare in Illinois; Baron Hill in Indiana; Frank Kratovil in Maryland; Mark Schauer in Michigan; James Oberstar in Minnesota; Ike Skelton in Missouri; Dina Titus in Nevada; Carol Shea-Porter in New Hampshire; John Adler in New Jersey; Harry Teague in New Mexico; John Hall, Michael McMahon, and Scott Murphy in New York; Bob Etheridge in North Carolina; Zack Space, John Boccieri, Steve Driehaus, and Mary Jo Kilroy in Ohio; Patrick Murphy in Pennsylvania; John Spratt in South Carolina; Tom Perriello in Virginia; and Steve Kagen in Wisconsin.